It’s Hatch chili pepper madness time! These hard-to-find peppers arrive in markets once a year, and then they’re gone till next year. Don’t be surprised if you see Hatch fanatics buying them by the box to roast or freeze. They’re retailing between 89 and 99 cents per pound right now.

These chilis hail from the Hatch Valley in southwestern New Mexico, the self-proclaimed chili capital of the world. The name “Hatch chili peppers” refers to the five or six main cultivated varieties of chilis that were developed by New Mexico State University scientists in the 1920s. These long, pointed peppers are planted in April in the high desert, where the sun shines 360 days a year. They’re harvested in August and September, when daytime temperatures hit the triple digits, but nights cool into the 70s. Those are Club Med-conditions for chile peppers, which respond with great pepper flavor and just the right amount of spicy heat.

Michael Marks is the marketing manager for FreshPoint.

In the Bins
Peaches,
nectarines
Local farms, San Joaquin Valley
$1.79 to $1.99 per pound
Tips: These “late season” varieties tend to have less red blush, but ripened, they are very sweet and juicy.
Seckel pear
Courtland, Lake County
$1.29 to $1.79 per pound
Tips: These small, juicy pears are so sweet, they’re often called sugar pears. They’re sized just right for tucking into a lunchbox, too.
Red, white potatoes Stockton
59 to 89 cents per pound
Tips: These are newly dug potatoes, which is why we call them “new potatoes.” These are grown in the Delta so you will notice very little scarring on them. Store them in your refrigerator.
Sweet potatoes
Livingston
$1.29 to $1.69 per pound
Tips: This is a new crop of sweet potatoes, so they will not be as sweet nor will they have a long shelf life.

(Click here if you are unable to view this photo gallery on your mobile device) The Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek celebrates the life of its founder Ruth Bancroft who died at 109 on November 26, 2017. The Ruth Bancroft Garden is a nonprofit public dry garden that was planted by Mrs. Ruth Bancroft in 1972 and was opened to the...